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Video: Sony Xperia Z1S and Z1 Compact Hands-on and Quick Look

Just like every other year, Sony has a major presence at CES in Las Vegas, as they announced two new Xperia devices at last night’s press event. The two phones are named the Xperia Z1S and the Xperia Z1 Compact. The Z1S is confirmed to hit the U.S. on T-Mobile’s LTE network, but there is no confirmation if we will see the Xperia Z1 Compact come to the States.

As for specs, the Z1S is similar to the Xperia Z1, as it is a waterproof device, sporting a 5″ 1080p Triluminos display, a Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, a 3,000mAh battery, 20.7MP rear-facing camera, and of course, Sony’s typical Android skin on top of the Android 4.3 OS. The Xperia Z1S will hit T-Mobile’s network on January 22 for $528 full retail or $22 a month on a plan.

The Z1 Compact is a pretty device, as it is Sony’s attempt at creating a top tier device in a smaller package. It sports a 4.3″ 720p, Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip clocked at 2.2GHz, 2GB of RAM, the same massive 20.7MP rear-facing camera, 2,300mAh battery, and runs Android 4.3 with Sony’s skin on top. In addition, the device comes in four colors – White, Black, Yellow, and Pink.

Below we have galleries and two hands-on videos with the new devices. Check them out.

Video

Xperia Z1s

Xperia Z1 Compact

Gallery

Xperia Z1s

Xperia Z1 Compact

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I’m tempted to import the Z1 Compact if the frequency bands are compatible with AT&T. I want a powerful phone not a tablet. The bezels are a little larger than I’d like but the overall size is still small.

zurginator

I think they’re actually smaller than on the Z1, but they look large because the device is smaller.

paul_cus

More interested in the Compact. Let’s see if it ends up hitting the States.

Jeremy Gross

compact is so think for a 2300 battery

Cory_S

I THOUGHT the same.

itsacardigan

My what large bezels you have!!

zurginator

And they’re one of the more durable high-end devices thanks to it.

kg2128

Proof that bigger bezels=more durable? It’s not gonna make a difference if you drop it.

zurginator

The part of the device that breaks is the glass covering the screen. If there is a larger plastic/metal ‘buffer’, the force is dispersed over a larger area and as thus makes the screen less likely to break. Plastic and rubber are the best option, hence why they’re used extensively in cases (which add significant amounts of bezel). The Nokia Lumia series is another durable line (comparatively). They also have about 6mm of bezel on each side.

Radgatt

Neither one of these phones will hit Verizon. I thought Sony said they wasn’t focused on the US market when it came to smartphones. They tease us with great looking devices but then at the end of the day it’s not available to everyone. I hope I am wrong this year.

Phillip Huynh

Pretty sure at this point they are both T-Mobile exclusive.

Nexus5Time

hows the camera on these babies ?

Timbo1

They are actually pretty good one of the better camera phones on the market. The Z1 has the same camera but some of the pics seem to be over processed by software, although the 4.3 update was supposed to help with it.

Stone Cold

Very good wish they would beef up the front facing camera only a 2.0 but love the regular one.

mcdonsco

Wish we would see a waterproof device (this or the s4 active) on Verizon…wtf?

Adrynalyne

I’m thinking Verizon doesn’t want to deal with it. Rather charge you for another when you drop your phone in the toilet.

On a more serious note: water resistant advertised phones invite people to test it out. Verizon would not want to be part of that, IMO.

JM

The Droid RAZR M from Verizon is waterproof.

NeilOMalley

I would definitely love to get my hands on a Z1 or Z1 Compact. It would also be nice to see Sony get some good Android devices out to more carriers. I really have no allegiance to any one manufacture and would love to test the waters.

Stone Cold

I made the jump from a Relay 4G loving th phone

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